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From: IJ Glenncannon <ijglenncannon@gmail.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} The Glenncannon Muses: Myrtoessa - Part 3 of 4 (Muse-mortal, implied sex, fantasy, asst other codes, collection of short scenes)
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Date: Thu, 08 Aug 2013 13:10:03 -0400
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A SECOND Muse?!...
---

The Glenncannon Muses
Part 3 of 4
---

Note:  This one was written first, then I wrote some of the Ketaki
scenes, (001-004), before I returned and wrote Myrtoessa 002.
---

Myrtoessa [G] : A nymph( Latin Name )
---

Myrtoessa 001: The Substitute Muse
---

When I answered the knock on my door, I found myself looking at a
petite blonde.

She curtsied.  "Hi.  I'm Myrtoessa and I'm from the Substitute Muses
Guild.  May I come in?"

"Ichabod.  Most folks call me Jack, or Glenn.  Maybe.  Where's Ketaki?
An emergency?"

"You overloaded her and she needed a vacation."  

She giggled.  "We've never seen anything like it!  She stormed in,
looked around and asked a bunch of us our names, then, after she
thought about it a few minutes, she pointed at me and said 'Perfect!
Show up as yourself'.  After she gave me your pattern, she vanished
like Cerberus was chasing her, which was silly, because everyone knows
the two of them are best friends and if he was chasing her it would be
for fun, not because he had to."

I sighed.  "Come on in, Myrtoessa.  Mind if I call you 'Myrto'?"

"WOW!  What a hit!  No wonder Ketaki was overloaded!"

I stepped back, she came in, then she grinned and hugged me.   "I'm
pretty tough.  We substitute Muses have to be, because we don't get
called in for anything ordinary."

I hugged her back, then held her off slightly.  "How can I know you
aren't Ketaki, or you're trying to steal me from her?  I know about
some of the infighting amongst Muses, and the games you can play when
your mortal is having problems being creative."

"Umm...  That's a tough question.   She didn't tell me she hadn't told
you what was going on.  Most of the time the working Muses tell us
enough so we can disguise ourselves and show up as them, so their
mortal never realizes we're a substitute.  After all, being a Muse is
pretty cut and dried.  We argue a lot, then sneak an idea into your
head once in awhile and that's pretty much it.  Most of you treat us
like an adversary, and you'd really rather not have us around."

I decided to push, so I drew her back and kissed her like a lover
would, before I pulled away again and waited.

Her eyes had widened, then she visibly shivered before she whispered.
"Is *that* how you always treat Ketaki?"

"Yes.    Think you can handle a non-traditional relationship?"

"Lovers and all that stuff?"

"Pretty much so, yes.  Most folks know Ketaki is a Muse and not a
mortal, so she's never needed to hide who she is."

"Don't people get upset when you don't do the normal stuff?"

"None of their business, what kind of relationship we have.  Sure,
there's some adversary stuff once in awhile, but it's part of the
lover's game, not because I'm in denial about the reason she's around.
We need each other, and there's no good reason to be hiding from that
fact.  I'm willing to treat you the same way.  I'm afraid I must
insist on it."

She looked down and sighed.  "You didn't have to rub it in.
Substitutes *never* try to have the kind of relationship they want. We
adapt so we don't screw things up for the mortal's real Muse, when
they return."

I eventually nodded slightly, then reached and tilted her head up.
"That makes sense.  Do substitutes ever take on a permanent position?"

"Oh, sure.  Some of us do.  Lots of reasons we're substitutes.  Some
of us aren't interested in a permanent job.  A few of us enjoy the
variety and challenges involved.  A lot of us are killing time while
we wait to feel the call, then we'll settle and be regular Muses."

"I didn't know it was possible for a Muse to be overloaded.  Sounds
impossible."

"Ketaki is a first generation Muse and you're not her first mortal.
Overloading is getting pretty common when first generation Muses link
with modern humans.  I'm from the second generation, and we're more
used to how creative all your technology is helping you be.  It isn't
the creativity that's her problem.  It's the fact your volume of
output is so much larger than what she is familiar with."

I sighed.  "Sounds like there is some sort of transition in progress.
Do you think Ketaki will ever adapt?"

"I don't know."

"Right.  It sounds like this vacation stuff is likely to happen
again?"

"Probably.  A lot will depend on how far from her threshold she is
when she comes back."

I sighed again.  "And, being first generation, it's pretty likely
she'll return before she should, because of her inherent need for the
creative stimulus?"

"Yes."

"Got it, I think.  I'm surprised by what's happened, of course.  Let's
see how you work out.  I think if you can adapt, we'll be a good fit.
If that happens, I'd appreciate it, if the two of you talk things over
and see if you can become my second Muse, full time.  Maybe the two of
you can figure out a way to share whatever it is that you get from me,
and that way Ketaki won't have to worry about overloading, and you can
have a permanent link to a mortal, if you want one."

By the time I finished she was staring at me.  "Is *that* what Ketaki
has been around since she linked her life to yours?"

"Of course."

"Mortals with two or more Muses, and all of them are satisfied..."

She suddenly stuck her hand out.  "I'm in!"

I took it, then, instead of shaking it, ignored her shivers and lifted
it so I could bend my head and kiss the back of it.  While I did so I
watched her face, and as soon as my lips touched her skin she closed
her eyes and sighed with fulfillment.

By the time I lifted my lips, she had 'The Look', and I knew that I
was going to have two Muses in my life, instead of the traditional
'one'.
---

Afterword:  'Mrytoessa'  was the hit I got when I searched Name
Directory using the search string 'toe' with the parameter 'contains
text' (which searches the name definitions).  I started this search
series by using 'finger' then tried other body parts until I got what
I felt was the perfect hit. 
====

Myrtoessa 002:  Welcome to *My* World!
---

I set up an account on the same computer Ketaki used, gave Myrto a
brief course in the software I favored, and then left her to get
familiar with me, as an author.

I was fixing us both light snacks when I heard a triple toned snarl, a
female scream, and then a very intent 'I don't know who you are, but
you'd better back away from Ke's computer'."

'Crap!  I forgot about Bruce!'

"Bruce!  She's ok!  Ke overloaded and Myrtoessa is the substitute Muse
she sent to keep an eye on me while she recovers!"

There was a brief silence, then,   "There's nowhere you can go to get
away from me, so stick around until I get back."  

Then he raised his voice.  "I'll be right back!"

Myrto was shivering when she showed up in the dining area and settled
in one of the chairs, before she managed to recover slightly and stare
at me.  "Was that who I think it was?"

"Yeah.  Sorry.  I forgot all about him dropping by to visit with us
when he's not working."

"Bruce, not Cerberus?"

I set the plates on the table, then settled in my chair.  "I know you
don't really need it, but dig in.  You look like you need a
distraction.  Yeah, 'Bruce'.  I guess you didn't know that 'Cerberus'
is a corruption of his real name, 'Sir Bruce'?"

The fork she was using stopped while it was halfway to her face, and
she stared at me.  "Sir Bruce?  The 'Hound of Hades' is really a
Knight?!"

"Yeah.  It's the sort of silly reality that a Muse would *never* come
up with, right?"

"Probably not."

She remembered she had food in front of her, ate it, then leaned back
and stretched.  "Pretty good.  Learn that on your own, or pick it up
from Ketaki?"

"A mix."

Before she could react, Bruce appeared in the living room, then walked
over and settled on his haunches before he gazed at Myrto.  "She's
legit, Boss.  Sorry, Myrtoessa.  Glenn's a pretty hot topic in your
guilds, and I've had to give some pretty stern warn-offs to some Free
Muses.  I should have realized you belonged, since you didn't smell
like a typical sneak.  Pretty confident, in fact.  You generation two?
Offer my center head your plate, then, when I'm done with it, you can
pet me.  Bottom drawer in Ke's desk has a cache of the stuff she
spoils me with, including some brushes and combs."

She looked at him, then at me, and I smiled.  "Yes, he's a big puppy
when he's off duty.  You'd better learn how to throw Frisbees.  The
local Mall Rats will be happy to teach you, if you don't know how."

She finally offered him her plate.

He cleaned it, then gazed at us calmly.  "You need her right away?  I
don't have a lot of time this trip, and I was hoping to get the
memories of the latest batch of newbies out of my thinking, by
relaxing at the Mall for a couple hours."

"Take her, Bruce.  All I had planned this afternoon is yard work, so
the creativity, if any, will be low key."

I had a thought, and refocused.  "Myrto?  You linked enough none of it
will leak and get to Ketaki?"

She sighed.  "Yes.  Substitutes know how to force the link, without
needing the usual stuff.  Just something we need to be able to do, so
we do it as soon as we know we're around the right person."

She looked sideways.  "Umm...  Bruce?  Collars and dog tags?"

He sneezed his amusement.  "Yeah.  I've been collecting them so I can
move around without a lot of hassles.  They seem to relax mortals
quite a bit, when they find out what they are.  You ready to go to the
Mall?"

She looked at me, sighed, then spoke a little cautiously.  "No trick?"

"Only tricks I plan to do are ones with Frisbees, after we get to the
Mall."

"I'm ready, I guess."

They vanished, and I quit hiding my grin, while I finished eating.

* * *

I was still puttering in the yard when Myrto came out of the house,
stretched out on the lawn and watched the clouds or something, and
after a few minutes of that, rolled to her side so she could watch
*me*, before she decided to speak softly.  "Glenn?  That sort of focus
is what you call 'low key'?"

"Yes.  You have the look of a woman who has a problem or two."

She ducked, I thought.  "Nobody ever said that Bruce has to be pretty
creative, as part of his job.  I don't think anyone except Ketaki, has
ever realized that what he's known for, *is* a job, and not part of
his normal nature."

I glanced over my shoulder, then went back to what I'd been doing,
before I spoke thoughtfully.  "Yeah.  Consummate professional, and I
guess he was stereotyped early on, so now most folks won't let him
change, or be himself.  Here, he's got a family and a chance to be
around people who let him be himself.  I think he's addicted to that
feeling more than he'll admit to most people."

"Could be.  You've been around Ketaki long enough to know Muses are
pretty flexible shape-shifters?"

"Yes.  Sometimes we have fun with that.  She's helped me by changing
until she matched my inner vision of some of my story characters."

"Pretty radical thing, for a Muse.  I've always thought the options
for a working Muse are pretty limited."

I sighed.  "They are, if they are in a traditional relationship with a
mortal.  She did some checking right after she linked to me, and it
turns out that when it's a non standard one, the rules get tossed,
then the Muse and the mortal have to work out their own rules on the
fly, until they're both comfortable with them.  Even then, they aren't
set in stone."

She thought about it, then spoke softly.  "So, basically, after all
these years, I have to *be* a mortal, instead of being able to more or
less isolate myself behind the rules I have to follow?"

"I guess that's a good way to put it.  You'll have to ask Ketaki if
that's how she copes."

"Coping...  You're pretty comfortable with Bruce around, aren't you?"

"Sure am.  He gives me lots of story ideas that nobody else is likely
to have, just by being himself.  That's an advantage for an author,
these days."

"What if you had a three-headed bitch around?  Would that help?  Could
you handle that?"

That comment got me to quit what I was doing, and focus on her,
completely.  "Excuse me?  I'm not blocked, so where did that come
from?"

"From me.  I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to happen, but it did.
I'm linked to you *and* Bruce.  One thing I do know, because he
mentioned it while we were eating a late lunch, is that he's pretty
lonely for a female who is like him."

I finally figured out what her problem was.  She needed permission,
because I was still her primary link, and she was still thinking in
traditional terms.

"Go for it, Myrtoessa.  I don't have a shape preference for my Muse,
and I guess you haven't internalized the way things are for you, now.
It really is up to you, what shape you spend your time in.  If you
want to be a real bitch, to Bruce's dog, especially while he's here,
do it.  You can even do it when he's not here, although hands might be
handy for using the computer once in awhile."

She studied me, then sighed.  "What about the link I have to him?"

I grinned.  "Didn't you tell me that you're a second generation Muse,
and pretty tough?  Not my problem.  You find a way to deal with it,
since you're at least as creative as I am, right?"

"You...   Mortal!"

"Thanks.  I'll put that one in my win column.  Need any other help,
before we go call it a day?"

"Scrub my back in the shower, first!"

I was laughing when I walked over and held out my hand.  "Deal!"
====

Myrtoessa 003:  He Scores!
---

Myrto decided that since she was going to live part of her life as a
'cooperative' Muse, if I was ok with it, she'd do the cooking, and all
the other chores around the house, so I could start the day and spend
more time focused on my writing, instead of 'diluting' my creativity,
by doing the other things that a bachelor usually did.

Or, as she put it during the previous night's snuggle, she wanted me
to ramp up my writing as quickly as I could, so she'd know the worst.

Ideally, I'd hit my  maximum output in a day or two, then sustain it
as long as I could, or until she decided *she* needed a break, before
she overloaded.  She didn't think that was possible, but as a
substitute, she'd found out that mortals varied quite a bit in what
they could physically produce.

I watched her rummage in the fridge before I sighed slightly.  "Are
you sure about this, Myrto?"

She didn't bother stopping what she was doing.  "Of course I am. After
you went to sleep, and relaxed enough I could wiggle free, I went back
in the den and spent the night catching up on my reading. You're
something of a fraud, aren't you?"

"Fraud?"

She bent suddenly, then reached all the way to the back of the fridge
before she pulled out a covered bowl.  She opened the lid, sniffed
cautiously, then sighed and closed it before she put it back.  "I'll
have to get the recipe, since that must be for Bruce.  All the mortals
I've met don't enjoy the smell of aged blood.  You know of any real
butchers in the area?

"Anyway, yes, fraud.  I noticed you like to take other people's
characters, then dump them in situations they weren't designed to
handle.  It's creative, but not as creative as if you built the
characters from scratch.  I bet Ketaki hasn't realized how much you do
it, so she treats all of it as if it came from your own creative
processes."

She finally had her raw materials on the counter, so she checked out
the cupboards before she started putting my breakfast together.

When she looked like she was going to be able to let herself get
distracted,  I spoke up again.  "You at a point you can multitask?
Looks like you know your way around a kitchen, pretty well."

"Done some work with chefs.  Most of them made me sit like a lump
while they pontificated, then used me as a guinea pig to test their
creations.  A few, though, relented enough to let their Muse be a
student.  If you think *authors* can get cranky, you'd probably run
screaming for the guys with the white jackets if you saw what I had to
put up with from a couple of those teaching chefs.  Anyway, I don't
know if I'm the cook Ketaki is, but I'm good enough to make my
decisions, then put myself on automatic while I do my *real* job. Go."

"Thanks.  I have a couple things I'm curious about.  Can I assume
you're pretty well read?  More so than Ketaki, if you've spotted most
of my thefts."

She thought about it, then she sighed.  "Many of then, I know from my
reading, but the others...  I'm not sure how to explain it, because
I've never had to, before."

I chuckled.  "Relax.  You can make the attempt, then later, one of us
can add it to the idea files so both of us can work on it later, or
you can fine tune it and let me see it again."

She shivered a little, then laughed.  "I never thought about it like
this, but in a very real way, you mortals feed on our creativity,
don't you?  Maybe Ketaki got involved in a positive feedback
situation, and didn't realize it soon enough she could stop *her*
creativity."

I snorted, then laughed along with her.  "Well, with having to write
the new rules on the fly, maybe we can find time to test that.  Ke and
I have done some collaborations, but not any that were that...
Collaborative."

She flipped the pancakes, then sighed.  "That was embarrassing.  I
managed to forget that I really should help you focus, and *I* lost
track of what I was talking about.

"Borrowed characters have a feel to them that's quite a bit different
than ones who are wholly the creation of the author's mind.  Some are
easier to spot than others, and, of course, a lot depends on how close
to the originals the new characters are."

She paused so she could set the first plate in front of me, watched
briefly, then, once she was sure I was ok with what she served me, she
went back to the stove.

I ate most of what was on my plate, then I looked up.  "Myrto?  Are
you saying that if Ke was more familiar with what's been written
already, she'd be able to use that knowledge to mute the hit from the
parts of my work that are adaptations?"

She exploded.  "Christ, Glenn!  Can you turn it down for a few
minutes, so *I*... can...  think?  Oops!"

I'd frozen when I realized she'd reverted, then, since she started to
recover so quickly, I spoke as mildly as I could.  "You wanted me to
ramp it up, didn't you?  This sort of stuff is part of a normal
morning conversation, for Ke and me.  We treat it like it's idle
rambling, to get my mind limbered up, for the serious stuff that
happens in the den."

"Does she suppress her own creativity?"

"I've never asked.  I've assumed she doesn't, because we use this time
to help me decide what I'm going to work on during my first session at
the computer, if I don't have a deadline forcing that decision on me."

Something started to sizzle on the stove, she looked down, then
started stirring whatever it was.  "Sorry, Glenn.  The hit made me
forget what we were talking about.  I'm not used to that happening.
Will you focus on eating, while I finish cooking, then I'll settle and
we can go back to whatever it was we were talking about?"

She glanced at me and blushed before she spoke as calmly as she could.
"Filling in for Ketaki, and adapting to this 'friends and lovers'
stuff, is *not* going to be the simple process I thought it would be!"

I ate a few bites, then I spoke softly.  "Fix yourself some breakfast
while you're at it.  Ke and I found out the distraction of us eating
at the same time, spreads things out quite a bit, so it's more like
what she gets when I'm focused on doing the actual writing."

"Thank you, Glenn."

When she finally settled across from me, she looked down at her plate
and sighed before she raised her head so our eyes could meet.  "I
won't tell anyone I wasn't tough enough, if you don't."

I shook my head.  "Go the other way, Myrto.  Let's write a story
around it and share it with the rest of the world.  Everything is
fodder for an author, right?  Besides, while I doubt if many other
Muses will heed the warning, at least you'll be able to say 'I *told*
you so!', when it happens to them!"

She was staring at me in shock, then she lost it and giggled.

I leaned back and grinned.  "Do we count that as one win for me, or
two?"

The giggles changed to hysterical laughter, so I nodded and spoke
matter of factly:

"My mistake.  Three."
====

Kioko [G] : Happy Child  ( Japanese Name )
---

Myrtoessa 004: The Child of Our Dreams
---

"Glenn?  Take a break?  Please?"

I leaned back, then turned my chair so I could study Myrto.

She smiled, shook her head slightly, then shifted so she was stretched
out on the couch.   She spoke three words, 'that was interesting',
then, as far as I could tell, passed out.

I backed up the story we'd been working on as part of our latest
experiment, then went over, worked my arms underneath her limp body,
and carried her to my room.

After I got her settled on my bed, I worked her clothes off, took the
time to get myself ready, then eased us both under the blankets before
I wrapped her up and went to sleep.

* * *

I woke up when something shook the bed.

Myrto rolled in my arms, then opened her eyes.  "Was that you?"

"No.  I thought it was you, trying to sneak away."

"No!  It was me!  Hi, Dad!  Hi, Mom!"

The bed shook again, and when I rolled to my back and managed to focus
on the blurry form that was now sitting on my chest, I realized I was
looking at...  Some sort of pixie?  I didn't know what she was, but
she had *way* too much energy.  

"Umm...  We're your Dad and  Mom?  I don't remember adopting you."

"You're silly!  I like that!  You and Mom created me last night!
Thanks!"

"You're welcome.  Do you always speak in exclamations?"

"Is that what I'm doing?!  Life is so much fun, I gotta!"

I groaned.  "Myrto?  You wouldn't happen to know enough to get a
handle on this situation, would you?"

We were interrupted.  "You ask a lot of questions, don't you, Daddy?!
Oops!  Hey!  Questions are lots of fun, too, aren't they?!  I bet Mom
speaks in statements!  Am I right?!"

How Myrto managed to sound sober, I'll never know.  "I speak in all
three ways.  So does Glenn.  So will you, someday, and you'll learn
how to make changes so you can express all those other feelings you
have hidden inside you."

"Wow!  Can I hug you real tight?!"

"May, Dear.  Yes, you may."

"You do that silly can-may stuff?!  That's old fashioned!"

Myrto sighed.  "It's not silly, Dear.  'Can' and 'may' have very
different meanings, and if we, as Muses, are sloppy when we use words,
we can't expect our mortals to use them correctly, and you know what
that means, right?"

There was a longish silence, then a whisper.  "Life isn't as exciting,
for *any* of us, and that would mean...  I couldn't stay here, and I'd
have to go back, right?"

"Well, not always go back, but it's most likely that you'd have to go
to our real home, then wait for someone else to call you, so you could
try again."

Then she got perky again.  "Hey!  I could be a substitute, like you
were!  I bet that would be *lots* of fun!  Mom?!  You'd better get out
from under those blankets, so I can hug you *real* tight!"

Myrto laughed, then raised the blankets slightly.  "I bet it would be
more fun for you to get under them, with us, so you can hug me, and we
can hug you!"

"Sure!  Dad?!  You'd better let go of Mom, so I can wiggle between
you.  Besides, if you're gonna hug me, you can't hug Mom, right?!"

I grinned at her.  "Wrong!"

"Can't be!  Mortals don't know how to shape shift, so you can't make
your arms longer!"

She looked at me triumphantly and grinned, so I spoke calmly.  "Well,
are you going to prove I'm lying?"

She worked her way under the blankets, wiggled until she was between
us, then Myrto and I stretched our arms until we had our hands on the
other's back.  After that, we tensed and pulled, so that our 'pixie'
was squeezed between us. 

"I get it!  You're using *me* to hug each other, aren't...  YOU!  Both
of you are doing it!  You're being creative, just for me!  WOW!"

She suddenly went limp and after a few minutes her breathing steadied
until it was obvious she was asleep.

I grinned at Myrto.  "To use the words you used to me, last night,
'that was interesting'.  Was our pixie right?  Did we create her last
night?"

She sighed.  "I said that?  I don't remember anything except that I
think I asked you to take a break, then I passed out."

"Well, you whispered them before, or maybe as, you passed out."

"Oh.  I thought I only thought them.  Anyway, yes, you and I created
her, which tells me that there was something about what we were doing,
that was new."

"Or an existing Muse, or a group of them would have felt the call, and
shown up.  What happens now?"

"I don't know."

She managed to kiss me, then she sighed.  "And I'd better go see if I
can find out anything."

"See you when you get back."

She vanished.

I tried to avoid thinking about our future, and mostly succeeded, but
I wasn't surprised when my pixie woke up, stretched, then rolled in my
arms.  "Where's Mom?  That stuff you're doing in your head feels real
good.  You do it a lot?"

"No exclamations?  Myrto, which is short for her full name of
Myrtoessa, went home so she could see if there's anything she can find
out, so we make sure we do the best job we can, of helping you grow
up."

"Oh.  That's ok, then.  Do we have to get up, or can we snuggle some
more?"

I laughed and hugged her.  "We can snuggle some more, because I want
to go back to sleep!"

"What was that stuff you were doing when I woke up?"

"I was doing my best to avoid thinking about our future, because that
would have meant being creative, and I didn't want to disturb you and
wake you up."

"Oh.  Thank you?  Is that always what I should say when I appreciate
something someone has done?"

"Yes, or 'Thanks'.  You don't always have to add their name."

"Ok.  Thanks, Dad.  I'll get better, I promise!"

"You're welcome.  I guess you were so excited, that you forgot you're
supposed to do something very important when you first meet someone?"

"Huh?  Oh!  Oops!  Hey!  For a mortal, you know a lot about Muses! I'm
Kioko.  It means 'happy child'."

"Thank you, Kioko.  Sometimes  I'll call you 'Kio'.  Will that be ok
with you?"

"You're asking?!  Sure.  You can call me anything you want."

"I'll remember that.  Thank you, Kioko.  I'm Ichabod Jack Glenncannon.
My friends usually call me Jack, and both of my other Muses usually
call me Glenn."

"You have more than one Muse?  Sorry.  I'll get better at this
focusing stuff, but I feel like I have to learn everything at once, so
I forget.  I can't stop it, so I guess I'm supposed to be this way for
now."

"Myrto is my second Muse.  She is the substitute Muse that Ketaki
picked, to take care of me while she took a vacation."

"Vacation?!  You're kidding!"

"Not a bit.  She's a first generation Muse, and I managed to overload
her."

"Too creative, huh?"

"Yes."

"Things are going to get complicated when she comes back, I bet!"

"Probably."  I yawned.  "Oops.  May I go back to sleep?"

"You're *asking* a Muse for permission, again?!  You're strange... Oh.
I should have realized it sooner, because no mortal has ever helped a
Muse create another Muse.  I think it's not supposed to happen.  I
gotta think about that.  Sure, Dad.  You can go back to sleep.  I'll
be real quiet and only play in my head."
====

Myrtoessa 005: Uncle Brucie
---

Myrto was still gone when I was ready to get up for the day, so I got
dressed, showed Kioko how to use the computer, after I created an
account for her, then I headed for the kitchen.

Inevitably, Cerberus showed up.

At least, this time he landed in the living room.

"Good morning, Glenn."

"Good morning, Bruce.  Here to meet our latest family member?"

One of his heads turned, then he sighed.  "I already know where
Myrtoessa is, and why.  Is it safe to assume your new family member is
the reason I hear clicking and giggles coming from the den?"

"Yeah, buddy.  Her name's Kioko.  I'll be calling her Kio, when I
don't speak my first impression and call her 'Pixie'.

Before he could say anything, Kioko appeared at the end of the
hallway.  She was dressed in a child's version of Myrto's working
outfit.  "I heard that!  We got company?!"

Cerberus dipped the head that was watching her.  "You do.  I'm Sir
Bruce.  People call me Cerberus, when I'm working."

"You're cute!  May I call you 'Uncle Brucie?!"

Suddenly a smaller female version of him was standing in the hallway,
and when she started to run at him, she tripped and tumbled in his
direction.

She hit, he fell on his side, because he was so surprised I guess he
forgot to brace himself, then she managed to get one of her heads
positioned so she could look at him.  "That was fun!  Will you teach
me how to make it look easy, like you do, Uncle Brucie?!"

All three of his heads sneezed, with varying tones, and she giggled.
"Hey!  That was *neat*, how each one of your noses said something
different!  I bet if I was like you, I'd be a Super Muse, or something
special!"

He stared at me, and I shrugged.  "I can kill an hour while I make
breakfast.  Try the Mall, to collect some trainers, then maybe the dog
park?  Grass is softer than asphalt.  Maybe Myrto will be back by
then, and we'll *all* have some sort of clue."

"A clue?!  A new game when we get back?!  What's a Mall?!  Dad was
focused on me, so I know those trainers are for me!  Are they a
Birthday Gift?!  Will I be able to keep them?!"

'Uncle Brucie' sighed.  "Cute, huh?  I've been called a lot of things
in my life, but *that* has never been one of them.  For that, I'll let
you call me 'Uncle Brucie', all you want.  But you have to let me call
*you*, 'Pixie'.  Do we have a deal?"

"Yay!  A new name!"

She wrapped him up with her outside heads while her nose touched his
center one.  "A hug *and* a kiss, because I like you soooo much! Let's
go play!  You can explain after we get there!"

He looked at me again.  "Always?"

"Almost.  No clue if it will last."

He sneezed his amusement.  "Happy enthusiasm?  I'll manage to live
with it."

"Silly!  Let's go!"

They vanished.

* * *

Myrto showed up before I finished cooking, and quietly took over.  She
was obviously thoughtful, so I left her alone.

When she realized it had been quiet, for far too long, she turned and
raised her eyebrows in a silent question.

I shrugged.  "What else?  Uncle Brucie showed up, she decided he's
cute, became a puppy version of him, then they took off so he could
stop at the Mall to get some trainers to help her learn how to run her
version of his body.  I suggested the dog park as a training area, and
they left.  

"There were some incidental sneezes of various types on his part, a
two headed hug and a nose kiss on hers in there in the appropriate
place, but I've given you the essentials.  He accepted the 'Uncle
Brucie', as long as he can call *her*, 'Pixie'.  Pixie was my first
impression, when we met her this morning.  Lots and lots of
exclamations, of various flavors, too.  Any news that means anything?"

She nodded and went back to her cooking.

Eventually she was done and settled opposite me.  We ate in more
silence, then she leaned back in her chair and sighed.  "Glenn?  It's
new territory."

"I halfway expected that.  Anything else?"

"You and I are on our own, mostly.  We're pretty sure we figured out
what's so new, that a new type of Muse would be created, instead of an
existing one being allowed to adapt."

I studied her.  "I don't like it, when I can hear tones of worry in my
Muse's voice."

"Better that, than being on the inside, and knowing you're putting
them there."

"Ah?  Do I get to know more?"

"Of course you do.  Did she tell you her name?"

"Yes.  Kioko.  I'll be shortening that to 'Kio', when I don't let my
other emotions call her 'Pixie'."

She giggled briefly, then managed to sober a little.  "Kioko isn't a
third generation Muse.  She's a first generation Muse for Muses, and
she's all mine, when she's working, all *ours*, when she isn't."

"Does that 'ours' include folks like Sir Bruce?"

Myrto giggled.  "And anyone else she decides to adopt into her
family."

I groaned.  "Oh...  Umm...  I'd better not use His name, or any of the
others I consider appropriate for this situation.  Some of them might
decide to pay attention to their 'invocation', and show up for a late
breakfast, or an early lunch.  Instead, I'll mention that I suddenly
have this vision of  a young Muse, who is also a genuine Mall Rat,
thanks to her 'cute' Uncle Brucie."

She winced, then she was doubled over by her hysterical laughter.
After she recovered, she grinned at me.  "Can you imagine what's going
to happen when she decides she wants to go find out what her Uncle
does when he's at work?"

I managed to bite back my first response, then I sighed very deeply
and spoke dryly.  "I can.  What about you?  Any images of what it's
going to be like, to have her around to help *you* be creative?"

She winced.  "Interesting times."

"Yeah.  I vote for some sloppiness in our lives.  Leave the plates
where they are, for the two of them to clean when they get back, while
we go park in the den and...  I don't know.  Too many choices, so...
talk about our options?"

She stood.  "Works for me..."

I didn't need to ask what made her fall silent.  Two female hands
landed on my shoulders, then I felt lips brush my cheek.  "I'm back. I
already heard.  Cerby has been keeping me updated with the essentials,
and I think keeping Myrtoessa around, along with her 'daughter', whom
I've met briefly, at the dog park, will be a good idea, and what you
mortals call 'a good thing', in the long run."

Myrto finally nodded slightly.  "Thank you, Ketaki.  Since you're the
senior Muse, 'by your will'."

Ke laughed.  "I've been around mortal children, and Kioko is much like
them.  Do you know where the dog park nearest the Mall, is?"

"I do, but I think we'd better use what time we get here, to make some
decisions, before 'little ears' decide to help us with them.  She is
after all, here to help us, and not Glenn."

Ketaki was silent so long I bent my head back so I could study her.
She realized what I was doing, so she bent and kissed me full on the
lips.

Then she sighed, settled in one of the other chairs and studied
Myrtoessa.  "Are you up to a full on session of Glenn's creativity?"

"I don't know.  It was the positive feedback from a full collaboration
that got us into this situation."

Ke winced.  "Never mind.  We do not need a child of all three of our
minds sharing our lives.  Glenn, Love?  Will you accept that any
decisions we make will be discussed with you, before they are
implemented?"

I nodded.  "Of course.  'Female and Muse talk'?  You'd appreciate it
if I take a long walk, such as to that dog park?"

"No.  *We* will take the symbolic walk to the dog park, while we
discuss our mutual future."

"I trust all of you, even Kioko.  Remember that our relationship gives
all of us free will, and...  also remember, there are *four* males
available to help with any solutions you come up with."

Myrto stared at me.  "Four?!"

Ketaki laughed.  "It is more Cerby's story than mine, but essentially,
Kioko has two other Uncles she can charm, if she wants to.  I will not
say their names, because they both have quirky senses of humor, and
they might decide to stop in for a visit."

"Them?!"

Ketaki shrugged.  "Yes.  They like my cooking."

Myrto sighed, then gestured.  "The walk?"

Ketaki stood.  "Let's go.  Glenn, we'll see you when we get back."

"No problem.  Most likely, I'll be at the computer, or in the living
room and staring out the window while I...  I don't know.  I may be
thinking, or I might decide to *not* think."

Both of them kissed my cheeks, then they left.

Eventually I loaded the dishwasher, then headed for the den, and a
session of intense 'not thinking'.
====

Myrtoessa 006: Purpose, Discovered!
---

I ate lunch alone, which didn't surprise me a bit.

I spent the afternoon puttering in the yard, then wound up in the
kitchen, and figuring out what I could put together for what I felt
would probably be a late dinner.  I also wanted things that I could
put on simmer, then I shrugged and opted to wait, and if the time came
and I still didn't have company, I'd toss something in the microwave,
or call out and get something delivered.

It was early evening, and I was settled on the living room couch, when
I heard the front door open, followed by a gruff voice.  "You'll have
to put the center one down, if you want to say anything that isn't a
sneeze.  He's in the living room."

There was a disgusted canine sneeze, then the brief click of toenails
before they were lost in the carpeting that was in most of the house.

Kioko came to me, offered me each of the three Frisbees she had been
carrying, then put her front feet on my lap and started licking my
face enthusiastically, with all three of her tongues.  She finally
stopped, pulled back, and grinned.  "That was LOTS of fun!"

"And you're still using exclamations."

"Well, I gotta use them, because it *was*!"

"Your point, Kio.  Any other news?"

"Lots, but Mom says I shouldn't tell you some of it yet, so she and
Ketaki can tell you, *then* it will be ok for me to tell you the rest
of it."

"No exclamations?  Something serious?"

"Yes.  We need your help, before we do it, and if you say we
shouldn't, we won't."

"Is that part of being  a Muse's Muse?"

"We're pretty sure it is.  See, mortals are used to having Muses, but
Muses aren't  We can't figure out the reasons I was created, and
that's why we need some help."

I looked up after I sighed.  "Anyone have something to get me started,
since it sounds like you need my creativity?"

Ketaki and Myrtoessa settled on opposite sides of me before Ke spoke
slowly and thoughtfully  "Muses are inherently incapable of being
'blocked', so we're sure unblocking one is not part of Kioko's job.
It's possible that her 'fresh enthusiasm' is important, but if it
is...  None of us, including Kioko, have any sort of clue that would
tell us what that importance is."

I nodded and studied the triple headed dog who'd settled on the rug in
front of us.  "Bruce?  Anything?"

"Maybe.  Since my bosses are involved, it's bound to be twisted in
some way that's obvious, once someone figures it out."

"Something to do with our mindsets?"

"Yeah.  Good chance of that.  Whatever it is, it has something to do
with Muses in general, and the way they think.  Logically, because
Muses are deliberately designed to be able to help mortals be
creative, I can't think of a single reason a Muse, would need a Muse."

"Thanks, Bruce.  So, basically, and sorry about being this honest,
Kio, Kio is, by any type of logic we have, an impossibility...  It
*couldn't* be that simple!"

All three of the Muses gasped, then slumped.  Kio recovered first, and
even she was whispering.  "Dad?  Is that what you've been doing to
Ketaki, for years, and to Mom for the last few days?"

"Yes, not all the time, though."

"No wonder you need two Muses, and maybe me, around.  That was
intense!"

I studied her.  "It sounds like you were able to track my thinking."

"Umm...  I'm not as creative as they are, yet, but I'm pretty
creative."

"Go on."

"I guess you know that since they're linked to you, Ke gets most of
what you broadcast, then Mom gets the rest, unless they decide Mom
should grab first, so Ketaki doesn't get too much?"

"I didn't know some of that.  If that's how they decided to handle
things, I'm ok with it."

"Ok.  Well, when you do like you just did, there's more than they can
handle, so what's left over, kind of escapes.  If I wasn't here to
absorb it, you'd have to fight off other Muses who would be trying to
prove they fit you better, which is stupid, but when you're like that,
any Muse that's nearby isn't going to be able to think."

"Except for you, because your threshold has to be high enough that you
won't overload from the stuff put out by a Muse who is being as
creative as they possibly can."

"Right, Dad!  What you and Muses produce is a lot different from each
other, and I can kind of separate it, then store it somehow, before I
let it hit me at a rate I can handle."

"Since you can store it, can you give it back, if a Muse needs it when
their mortal isn't being creative enough?"

She winced.  "Dad, it's a good thing I'm here.  I had to intercept
most of that.  Mom and Ke's reaction times aren't fast enough to avoid
the sudden surge, if they're already pretty close to...  full."

"Ok.  I'll worry about something else, for awhile.  Ke?  Dinner?  You
up to it, or should one of us call out?"

She hugged me.  "I'm up to it.  Since Myr wants to learn some of my
secrets, she can help.  You can tell Kio and Cerby one of the stories
you've already written, to distract you, so *we* can focus on the
food."

She reached and rubbed one of Kio's heads.  "Yes, Dear.  I know you
are here, but let's not take any chances.  Glenn's finished stories
can draw a person in, until they forget about what's happening around
them."

"I gotta wait until I've learned a lot more, before you'll let me try
to handle him on my own?"

"Yes.  Don't forget Cerby has a tendency to be creative, because he
likes to bring his work home with him.  You need to pay attention to
that, so any surges don't catch you by surprise, like they did at the
dog park."

"Oh.  Yeah.  That stuff.  Should I mention it to Dad, even though it
turned out ok, eventually?"

Ke studied Kio, then me.  "You'd better wait, Dear.  That sort of news
is going to make his creativity that happened a few minutes ago, seem
insignificant.  Let's wait until tomorrow, when we're all in the den,
and Cerby is at work, so *he* doesn't add to it."

"Bad, huh?"

"Intense.  Count on it!"

"Got it!  Dad?  A story?"

"Made up, or real?"

"Real!"

"Once upon a time, there was an author who was just getting started.
He was doing ok, but this time, he had a deadline to meet, and he
couldn't think of a *thing*, to write about.  He was blocked.  He
didn't know it, but that block sent out a call, and a very special
Muse felt it..."
====

End:
The Glenncannon Muses
Part 3 of 4

-- 
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reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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